By Ann Wamack

jobs with pets

There are many more opportunities to earn a living working with cats and dogs besides becoming a veterinarian. That may be the job that folks think of most often when considering a career working with animals, but the prospect of years in college and grad school may make that goal a bit difficult for many folks. However, here are a few more career choices to inspire you to find a job with animals, and these require all different levels of education.

Veterinarian Assistant / Vet Clinic Staff: Veterinarians employ a number of staff members to help work with the pets and their owners. From the paperwork and phone calls in the front office to the preparation and assisting in the treatment of the animals and post-treatment follow-up, there are many tasks that support the work of a veterinarian.

Animal Care Technician: In addition to veterinarian clinic staffs, people are needed to clean, feed and monitor the animals in pet stores, animal boarding kennels and research labs.

Animal Trainer: Some people will pay trainers to teach their dogs to be more obedient. Other people will pay trainers to teach them how to teach their own dogs. In a recent Internet search, we even found a job posting for someone to train the trainers. Beyond basic dog obedience training, there are careers in training police dogs and service dogs to assist the disabled. There are schools and non-profit organizations that train service dogs. You could search the Internet to find a school to learn to teach dog obedience or a job opening to get you working in the field.

Groomer / Stylist: Many people have been able to work from their homes, converting a back room or garage into their pet styling salon. However, if you don’t have the extra space, many commercial salons need groomers. Also, Petco offers a website to find a job or training program near you, and even suggests a new opportunity called Mobile Pet Grooming, which we think has a tremendous range of possibilities for the future of pet grooming.

Interested in Business Management? Consider a career managing a boarding kennel, pet store or an animal shelter. Inquire at a facility near you and get started learning their business. Some hands-on experience and a couple of evening classes in business management will jump start this career.

Looking for something more entrepreneurial? Open a Doggy Day Care or a Pet sitting service! This is a tremendous work-from-home possibility. There are books to help you with all the details of setting up your business.

Want to take your passion to an entirely different level? Local and state governments have programs to work with animals, to enforce animal control laws and provide educational resources to their communities. Contact your state or local government to find a similar program in your area.

Whatever direction your passion takes you, there are plenty of jobs for animal lovers. There are plenty of animals that need you. It’s up to you to take the first step.

Article you might be interested in reading: Pet Shipping, Pet Spa, Pet Fashion and Pet Trainer

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